Thebe Phetogo’s depictions of dichotomy

I am a 23 year old emerging artist living and working in Gaborone, Botswana. My work is figurative and representational at it’s core, but I incorporate abstract techniques and surrealist elements to realize the themes I work with. ~Thebe Phetogo

The symbols I use in my work heavily reference my heritage as a Motswana, such as tribal totems, while borrowing from different western narrative languages such as literature and film to execute my ideas, creating an inherent dichotomy on the surface of the works.

As a self-taught artist who is not beholden to art history I draw upon the unique visual language that developed in Botswana. All this with the aim of making interrogative, instead of prescriptive art.